Today senior officials of the Foreign Service of Pridnestrovie met with Ulvi Akhundlu, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Moldova, and Anna Capello-Brillat, Head of Division for Confidence Building Measures, Directorate of Political Advice of the Council of Europe, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.
The meeting was concentrated on discussion of results of common projects implemented in 2012 as well as on cooperation prospects for 2013 and 2014. Implemented projects included cooperation in the field of mass-media and education, assistance to socially disadvantaged groups, sport competitions. It was noticed that new areas of cooperation will be available in the future in addition to the traditional scope of cooperation: more detailed attention will be paid in the coming years to the protection of human rights and environmental protection.
According to Anna Capello-Brillat cooperation program has not been approved yet. Pridnestrovian representatives became acquainted with the program in order to balance it.
Nina Shtanski, Deputy Chairperson of the Government of the PMR on Issues of International Cooperation, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PMR, highly appreciated the results of cooperation with the Council of Europe in 2012. “We have seen the enthusiasm on the part of Mr. Akhundlu and other officers. Implemented projects were socially significant and at the same time carried a particular responsibility - for example, in the context of arrangement of events for children.” According to the Head of the PMR's MFA, these results shall be “a good credential for bolder initiatives in this year.”
However, the cooperation program for 2013 contains a number of projects dealing with the non-governmental sector. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PMR expressed interest relating to more active involvement of authorities in the work under the program. “We could be useful not only in the framework of direct cooperation but also in cooperation with civil society actors and other authorities,” Nina Shtanski said in this regard. In turn, Anna Capello-Brillat expressed willingness to consider the recommendations and remarks of the Pridnestrovian MFA and to include them in the program of cooperation for 2013.
Interlocutors covered also other issues of bilateral cooperation in the course of the meeting.
